When I was in high school, my freshman Economics class took a field trip to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. We got to look down on the trading floor, where hundreds of people wearing differently colored jackets yelled and gesticulated at each other to trade crop futures, oil, and precious metals (if you have a few minutes, go ahead and Google a picture of the trading floor). For someone who was still trying to figure out the difference between supply and demand, this scene was utterly overwhelming. Fast forward 20 years or so, and that’s how I felt trying to follow the summer transfer window in the NWSL this season. Now that the window is finally closed, we can take a breath and try to wrap our heads around all of the transactions from the last few weeks.
Technically, the transfer window is only closed for incoming transfers, so players could still be transferred away from their current teams. Additionally, as long as a transfer officially occurred before the August 30 deadline, it may yet be announced. However, NWSL teams should be pretty well set for the run-in at this point, so we can take a step back and consider how all of these moves will affect FNWSL.
Remember that we have another late Friday deadline this week, with Seattle heading down the coast to pay a visit to Angel City. That means you have a few extra hours to set your team, which should be helpful considering all of the movement we’re still learning about with players on new teams.
Which attacker transfers stood out?
Bay FC sent the Red Stars $350,000 ($250,000 now, $100,000 next season), one of the largest transfer fees in women’s soccer history, for Penelope Hocking. I see this working out well for Hocking, who could soon become one of the primary attacking options for Bay – and she only costs $150k in FNWSL.
Meanwhile, back in Chicago, this opens up a slot next to Mallory Swanson on the front line for the Red Stars. Jameese Joseph and Julia Bianchi will both likely see more playing time, but the primary beneficiary of Hocking’s absence may prove to be Jenna Bike, who logged 39 touches and three shots against Angel City last weekend. It’s possible we see Bike ($100k) playing a similar role alongside Swanson that Alexa Spaanstra is taking alongside Sophia Smith in Portland, which is a great spot to be in. The other good news is that Bike qualifies as a MF in FWNSL rather than a FW, which is a key advantage this season.
Speaking of midfielders…
Leicy Santos started again for Washington and played a full 90 minutes. While this was in the absence of Croix Bethune, it looks like Santos will be a fixture in the Spirit XI for the remainder of the season. If you’re committing a lot of money to your FWs and don’t have enough budget left for say, Sam Coffey or Rose Lavelle at MF, Santos (and Bike) could be ideal options to fill out your midfield.
Keep an eye on Louisville.
Bethany Balcer started her second game for Louisville and logged her first two shots in purple. As she gets more integrated into the Louisville lineup, which has been more effective on offense than Seattle’s so far this season, the partnership of Balcer and Uchenna Kanu could be ideal for FNWSL differential options over the last two months of the season. Kanu has slowed down a little bit after starting the season on a tear, but it appears she is back in the starting XI – keep an eye on her and Balcer over the next couple of weeks if you’re looking to change up your team!
Which defender transfers stood out?
On the defensive side, Carson Pickett returned home to the Orlando Pride.
She has come on as a second-half sub in both matches since rejoining the Pride, but has only played a total of 48 minutes. Orlando has been starting a very consistent (and effective) back four for most of the season and are leading the league with only 12 goals conceded all year, so it may take a little while to work her into the lineup. Furthermore, Pickett was very involved in set pieces while in Louisville, which was a major contributor to her fantasy value, and we have yet to see if she will fill the same role for Orlando. I’m confident that Pickett will eventually be a key part of the Pride XI, but for the time being, at a price point of $300k, I would recommend finding another option at DF.
Not officially a transfer, but one other thought: Kansas City left back Izzy Rodriguez has not started the last two Current matches, as the team continues to collect defensive depth. She has been on the matchday squad for both, and came on as a sub in the second half last weekend, but most of her minutes have gone to rookie Ellie Wheeler. Izzy was one of the highest-scoring DFs in FNWSL and getting a lot of fantasy value from set pieces, but unfortunately, she may need to be moved to your bench for the time being.
Is it a good idea to be delisting Yazmeen Ryan and replacing her with either Sam Coffey or Rose Lavelle going into the run home? I’ve had her on the bench since matchday 14 and the existing midfield in my team has Taylor Flint, Savannah DeMelo, Emily van Egmond and Croix Bethune, bearing in mind that I have the budget to spare and already run a forward line containing both Rodman and Smith, along with Cortnee Vine who’s been in my team since her league debut post-Olympics, but I’m not sure whether it’s worth doing so this late into the season given that I may want to have differential options in later gameweeks and also with regards to how it will affect overall fantasy points return in the long run.
Good question! If you still have Bethune on your roster, I’d probably replace her first due to the season-ending injury. If you have enough budget, and you don’t want to bring in a 3rd elite forward like Banda or Chawinga, I’d swap Bethune for Lavelle (or Coffey, but I think Lavelle has more upside), and then maybe keep Ryan as a backup for now. Vine and Egmond should give you plenty of differential for now, and maybe next week you could swap Ryan for another differential option!